Battletech - Blood of Kerensky

[Darimaus]

I've been wanting to run a battletech game for a long time, and thanks to some horrid technical problems, I've actually been able to get time to get some stuff written up for it.

The rules are from the battletech system, most specifiically the citytech book, and won't involve personal stats, but the actual mech stats instead. I will be supplementing in rules from Maximum Tech as well, and will be adding some additional sources to the mix once we expand the size of the conflicts to company, batallion, or even regimental strength (or in our case, Trinaries and Galaxies).

For those who don't know what Battletech (or Mechwarrior in its most modern rendition) is, its a Sci-Fi system based alot off of Giant Robot combat (not to say other combat units don't matter though). If you want to know more about the back story, there is lots of information on it floating around online, or you can try and find some of the novels.

You will be playing as Clan Wolf during the invasion of the Inner Sphere. In order to determine your starting positions, as well as to let everyone starting get a feel for the system, every PC will be undertaking a trial of position to determine rank.

Character creation is really simple. I need each starting PC to roll a d6 twice. Afterwards, you will be doing mech creation and design. To do this, go to www.solaris7.com
Go to Downloads and select The Drawing Board. Download version 2.07. This simple program will allow you to construct the mech according to all the rules. Once the mech is completed, I will get you to e-mail me a copy of the save file at tysopern@hotmail.com. If you have a printer, I reccomend printing the mech. it will organize it into a very easy to use character sheet for you. Every 2 people who send me working machines will then be put into trials of position in the in game thread.

For those of you who don't have access to Citytech (I know it kind of an obscure source) the rules are fairly simple and I can post a basic overview of them if it looks like we have alot of people interested who don't have the rules.

 

[Rhun]

I'd be interested, but I am only familiar with Old School Battletech; pre-Clan, really. I do have CityTech, though, as well as BattleTech, AeroTech, BattleSpace and a few other "obscure" books. Of course, it has probably been 15 years since I've even looked at any of them.

 

[Arkhandus]

Yet another time where I wish I had been able to afford to buy the BattleTech game materials when I had the chance.

 

[Darimaus]

Like I said Arkhandus, the rules are easy enough for me to post them for anyone who isn't familiar with them.

Rhun, I think you'll have alot of fun switching to Clan tech. Their Mechs are significantly stronger, and the advent of the double heat sink is godly.

 

[Jemal]

Yes, the rules are EXCEEDINGLY simple to learn. All you need is the drawing board (I believe Darimaus linked to it above) to create your mech(Which is pretty self explanatory), and the DM has all the other rules...
What I'm curious about is that usually when I play this game it's fairly tactical.. Basically a Minatures War-Game. Distance and terrain MATTER.. How are you planning on dealing with that online? WIll you be posting detailed maps or what?

 

[Drerek]

I downloaded the Drawing Board. Took about 2 minutes to do. Haven't tried making a mech yet. I'm interested in the answer to Jemal's question as well.

 

[Darimaus]

Yes, the rules are EXCEEDINGLY simple to learn. All you need is the drawing board (I believe Darimaus linked to it above) to create your mech(Which is pretty self explanatory), and the DM has all the other rules...
What I'm curious about is that usually when I play this game it's fairly tactical.. Basically a Minatures War-Game. Distance and terrain MATTER.. How are you planning on dealing with that online? WIll you be posting detailed maps or what?

Just so happens solaris7 also has a map generater as well.

 

[Jemal]

Ask and Ye shall Receive, I guess.
Cool.
IN that case, I'm in It just so happens that I have the Drawing Board on my computer at home, and I JUST finished my last shift up here a few minutes ago, so I'll be heading home sometime today (finally). I'll get you my Mech ASAP...

What tech lvl, btw? I believe Drawing board has different Tech levels (Though I have a few mech design programs I might be thinking of a different one).
Just for the record, I'll be probably planning something between 60-80 Tonnes, if that's acceptable. (Also, for other people's benefit, are you putting a limit on the Mechs anyway? IE Tonnage?)

Also, for the D6 rolls, do you want INvisiblecastle?

 

[Rhun]

Rhun, I think you'll have alot of fun switching to Clan tech. Their Mechs are significantly stronger, and the advent of the double heat sink is godly.

I should rephrase my comments. I am familiar with Clan Technology, just not Clan history and such.

 

[Darimaus]

The backstory to the clans is simple. They used to be Starleague, howver, they left the Inner Sphere because of the constant fighting happening there. They became a warrior society, using a caste system for its people, specializing in combat tech, and living for honor and death on the battlefield. The clans don't have families, and they don't usually reproduce normally, instead using technology to combine favorable genetic traits and birth them artificially in large groups called Sibkos. These are called Trueborns, and they rule clan society. Innersphere prisoners, as well as they occasional offspring birthed naturally are called Freebirth, and are treated as second class citizens.

The Clans have always been wanting to go back to the Inner Sphere and fix it. There are two sides to this argument. One side, the Wardens, want to work hand in hand with the Inner Sphere in order to make it better. The others, the Crusaders, want to simply conquer the Inner Sphere. The Clan you are all a part of is Clan Wolf, a Warden Clan.

As Clan warriors, you have to obey some military doctrine. First off, Clanners believe that one on one combat is the only honerable way to fight. They all pair off with a foe and fight by themselves. Second, melee combat with mechs is unacceptable. Waste is abhorred in Clan society, they like to do things efficiently. And lastly, retreat is pretty much unnacceptable in anything but the most extreme circumstances. There are 2 goals in the life of every Clanner. The first is a Bloodname. In order to gain a last name in Clan society, you have to earn one from the group of Bloodnames taken from the origional people who travelled away from the Inner Sphere. Recieving one of these names is a great honer and allows for quick promotion and success in life. The second goal is when you're dead, you want your genetic material passed on in later generations of Sibkos.

Clan Wolf is the most lenient clan when it comes to tradition. they have a history of doing things in a more devious way, being dishonerable in the eyes of the strictest of other clans. They also have a much larger tolerance for Freebirths. One of the biggest reason I wanted PCs to be Wolves is because it allows them to fight in a more unconventional manner rather than a normal Clan slugfest.

I'll explain more about the ranking system and the combat bidding system once the trials of position have been completed. The Trials consist of two people going into a battlefield and each having to fight 3 seperate opponents. Normally, each person fights their opponents one at a time, but if someone attacks their opponents out of order, or they hit their partner or their opponents, it opens up to a free for all and every mech engages. If you down one mech, you become a mechwarrior. If you down 2 mechs, you are a Star Commander. If you Down 3 Mechs, you are Star Captain. Down 4 or more, and I gotta do some research

I'll get you guys started on those trails as fast as you guys get mech designs to me.

Also, when using Drawing Board, Your mech types will be clan, tech level 2.